On behalf of the Advanced Arab Academy of Audiovestibulogy, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the premiere issue of the Academy Journal.

On this occasion, I would like to seize the opportunity to provide you with an introduction to the Arab Academy.

The Arab Academy was established in 2012 as a nonprofit organization registered in Amman, Jordan, with the aim of advancing knowledge on the specialty of audiovestibular medicine. The board members are nominated from each Arab country. Their main responsibility is to present the health situation in their countries, as well as their needs, and share expertise.

The Arab Academy envisions to be an integral part of the professional lives of Arab audiologists and other related professionals by advancing the science and practice of hearing and balance, thereby achieving public awareness about hearing impairment, auditory verbal therapy, and speech therapy.

We endeavor to maximize the role of audiologists, otologists, auditory verbal therapists, and other professionals in the early identification, diagnosis, and management of auditory defects and thus provide better care and management to our patients.

The mission of 4A is to establish itself as the main organization for specialists in the field of hearing and balance in the Arab world, promoting the quality of healthcare related to hearing and balance and the knowledge on hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation through:

Education and research

Standardization

Regulation

Awareness

Leadership and guidance

Part of our strategic plan is to collaborate with well-known educational institutions to enhance knowledge in the area of audiovestibular medicine. Recently we signed a partnership agreement with the Academy of Lubeck, Germany, and we look forward to establishing collaborative agreements with various institutions across the world.

One of our objectives is to conduct courses and workshops in different specialties related to the field - for example, fitting hearing aids, fitting and mapping, selection of cochlear implant patients, dizziness, auditory verbal therapy, etc.

With the blessings of God, last year we held more than 10 workshops and conducted courses on different topics in different countries like Jordan, KSA, Qatar, Morocco, and the UAE.

I would like to thank Dr Mohammed Shabana, Director of the Board, for his tireless efforts in establishing the Academy Journal as an international publication that will serve our scientific community.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr Mohammed Al Masri, Secretary General, and all board members for their whole-hearted support toward the success of the journal. I also extend special gratitude to our educational partners and sponsors for their effort and immense support to the Journal.